Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Abbott Laboratories has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, based on coverage from 26 firms: 19 buy ratings, 3 strong buy ratings, and 4 hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $118.61.
• The company beat Q2 earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $1.31 versus the $1.28 estimate, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $12.51 billion. Abbott also raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60 and signaled stronger second-half demand across key businesses.
• Abbott’s stock was trading up 1.9% at $100.71, and the company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, equal to a 2.5% yield. Institutional ownership remains high at 75.18%.

Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $118.6087.

ABT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $118.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday. Benchmark reduced their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Leerink Partners lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $119.00 to $106.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th.

Abbott Laboratories News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Abbott Laboratories this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Abbott beat Q2 earnings expectations and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45-$5.60, signaling better profit momentum for the rest of the year. Abbott Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to stronger second-half demand across multiple businesses, including nutrition, medical devices, diagnostics, and diabetes care, which supports a faster growth profile. ABT Q2 Earnings Call Flags Stronger Second-Half Setup
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the results, with JPMorgan, Citi, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, TD Cowen, BTIG, and RBC all lifting targets or reaffirming bullish views. These Analysts Increase Their Forecasts On Abbott Following Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau bought 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 2,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks purchased 10,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $92.65 per share, with a total value of $926,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,751,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $625,489,692.95. The trade was a 0.15% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $5,850,000 after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 3.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. United Bank grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 7.4% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 29,004 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $3,945,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 13.6% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,894 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 25.6% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,435,683 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $195,267,000 after buying an additional 292,547 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 1.9%

ABT opened at $100.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $81.97 and a 12 month high of $137.49. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $89.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.17.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 11.65%.The firm had revenue of $12.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The company's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is presently 70.59%.

About Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions.

In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability.

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